New joint exhibit from the National Gallery and ArtScience Museum spans 80 artists, 40 composers, and 150 works exploring minimalism

Sopheap Pich, ‘Cargo’, 2018. The sculpture is based on the form of a 20ft shipping container, at 1:1 scale. But while shipping containers are opaque with their contents hidden, we can see through these ones, which hold only air. Photo: National Gallery Singapore

When you think minimalism, you think about keeping things simple, going back to the basics, and cutting out all the unnecessary frills. In the art realm, this concept encompasses a “bare bones” sort of style, without the distraction of excess trimmings.

It’s this form of art that National Gallery Singapore and ArtScience Museum have focused on for their new joint exhibition, Minimalism: Space. Light. Object. Touted as the “first survey of minimalist art” in the region, the five-month showcase features works from Southeast Asia and beyond, in an effort to highlight one of the most influential art movements of the 20th century.

About 150 works by more than 80 artists and 40 composers will be displayed across the two sites, starting from the Gallery, where the evolution of minimalist art takes visitors from the 1950s to present day. At the Museum, artistic tendencies of the movement are explored, with creations that make use of technology, walking the line between minimalism and science.

Apart from iconic pieces that have never been showed in this part of the world, the exhibition also includes three major new commissions by Sopheap Pich from Cambodia, Frederik De Wilde from Belgium, and Singapore’s very own Jeremy Sharma.

And, if you walk by the Gallery & Co dining area, you’ll see a completely different space transformed by British artist Martin Creed for his “Work No. 1343”. The restaurant project is presented for the first time in Asia, and no two items are the same, from the cutlery to the crockery to the furnishings.

Extending further to the performing arts, cinema, design, and fashion, performances and moving image works will feature on the line-up at both venues as well. Look out for programs like a one-night-only dance showcase by Tao Dance Theatre from China and sound art by more than 40 composers.

Here’s a glimpse of what to expect.

Ai Weiwei, ‘Sunflower Seeds’, 2010. Each seed is handcrafted by ceramic artisans in Jingdezhen, China, challenging the “Made in China” stereotype of cheap mass production. Photo: National Gallery SingaporeTatsuo Miyajima, ‘Mega Death’, 1999/2016. The artwork’s title is a reference to the lives lost to war and conflict in the 20th century. Photo: National Gallery SingaporeDan Flavin, ‘monument for V. Tatlin #43’, 1966-1969. This series pays homage to the utopian ideals of Russian Constructivist artist Vladimir Tatlin, comprising 39 pieces in various configurations created between 1964 and 1990. Photo: National Gallery SingaporeDonald Judd, ‘Untitled (Six Boxes)’, 1974. One of the most important artists of American Minimalism, Judd’s work here is made out of six identical brass boxes spaced exactly 150cm apart to create a visual rhythm. Photo: Marina Bay SandsMona Hatoum, ‘+ and -‘, 1994-2004. Referring to an important symbol of Japanese Zen, this circular sculpture contains more than 750kg of sand and repeats its rotations, resulting in hypnotic sounds. Photo: Marina Bay SandsOlafur Eliasson, ‘Seu corpo da obra (Your Body of Work)’, 2011. The translucent colored sheets beckon visitors to stroll around the spaces and experience different layers of color. Photo: Marina Bay Sands